Illuminated tweezer



Nov. 22, 1966 A. w. SPEDDiNG ILLUMINATED TWEEZER Filed June 10, 1964 F'mxL Pic-=3.

INVENTOR. ALBERT W. Svsoome,

United States Patent 3,287,547 ILLUMINATED TWEEZER Albert W. Spedding, 517 S. 21st Ave., Hollywood, Fla. Filed June 10, 1964, Ser. No. 373,962 1 Claim. (Cl. 2406.46)

This invention relates to an illuminated tweezer or like instrument for the handling of relatively minute objects.

The invention contemplates a tweezer having a pair of flexible prongs terminating in spaced apart points and with the prongs being shifted together by the fingers of the operator and with the prongs being fixed into a non-conducting molded sleeve that is axially apertured and threaded for the reception of a lamp carrying element and whereby the lamp carrying element projects a beam of light downwardly or upwardly, as the case may be to the area of the points of the prongs and with the battery carrying means having a switch for energizing the lamps.

Novel features of construction and operation of the device will be more clearly apparent during the course of the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein has been illustrated a preferred form of the device and wherein like characters of reference are employed to denote like parts throughout the several figures.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a device constructed in accordance with the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation at a right angle to FIG- URE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a central vertical section taken substantially on line 33 of FIGURE 2, and

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on line 4--4 of FIGURE 3.

Referring specifically to the drawings, there has been illustrated an elongated cylindrical barrel 5. The barrel may be formed of metal or plastic as may be found desirable. T he barrel 5 is open at its upper end and internally threaded at 6 and the lower end of the barrel is closed by a wall 7, that is apertured at 8 to receive a lower projecting button 9 carried by a disk 10 normally seating upon the bottom of the barrel. The button 9 is circumferentially grooved at 11 so that the disk 10 may be forced upwardly and locked into a position to energize the lamp, to be described. Disposed within the barrel 5 are one or more batteries 12, with the uppermost end of the batteries having a positive terminal 13.

Connected to the barrel 5 is a coupling, including a knurled ring 14, threaded to engage the threads 6 of the barrel. The ring 14 is stamped or otherwise formed to provide an upstanding axially arranged tubular threaded extension 15 in which is threadedly engaged the ferrule 16 of a lamp 17. The threaded extension 15 is threaded into a lower threaded aperture 18 of a non-metallic sleeve 19. The sleeve 19 is apertured at 20 to receive the threaded extension 15 and the lamp 17 and whereby the lamp is axially disposed with respect to the sleeve 19.

Anchored or otherwise molded into the sleeve 19, is a pair of spaced apart flexible and preferably metallic prongs 21. The prongs 21 are shaped in accordance with the generally recognized form of tweezer prongs that are curved intermediate their lengths and having their end portions formed diagonal as at 22, forming points 23. The prongs 21 are adapted to be biased together by pressure upon the sides of each prong whereby the points 3 287,547 Patented Nov. 22, 1966 23 are adapted to grip relatively small objects and the lamp 17 projects light downwardly or upwardly toward the prong points.

Disposed between the top of the batteries 12 and the coupling 14, is a coil spring 24. The coil spring 24 normally biases the battery or batteries downwardly toward the disk 10 and to a position where the positive contact 13 is spaced from the terminal of the lamp ferrule 16 and whereby to deenergize the lamp 17, when the device is in an inoperative position.

In the use of the device, one or more batteries 12 are inserted into the open upper end of the barrel 5, to rest upon the disk 10. When the tweezer is adapted to be employed to pickup or grasp relatively small objects and assuming, that the objects are not clearly defined, the button 9 is shifted upwardly to cause the disk 10 to force the battery or batteries 12 upwardly to make contact with the central terminal of the lamp ferrule 16 and against the tension of the spring 24. With the button 9 constituting the operating means for the lamp, light will be projected from the lamp toward the points 23 of the prongs 21 so that illumination will be provided and to facilitate the pick-up of the objects by squeezing the prongs 21 together. The button 9 may be only pressed upwardly sufiiciently to energize the lamp or it may be forced entirely upwardly and locked into the energizing position by the groove 11, that is shifted laterally to engage the marginal portion of the aperture 8 thus maintaining the lamp constantly energized for a relatively prolonged service.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that a very novel arrangement of illuminated tweezers has been provided, the structure is simple, strong, durable and cheap to manufacture and provides a very novel form of tweezer having illuminating means.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction shown, but that changes are contemplated as readily fall within the spirit of the invention as shall be determined by the scope of the subjoined claim.

I claim:

An illuminated tweezer having a handle forming barrel open at its upper end and threaded, a coupling device having a lower extension that is threaded to engage the threads of the barrel, the coupling also having an upwardly extended cylindrically and threadedly formed socket for receiving a threaded ferrule of an incandescent lamp, a non-metallic sleeve having an axial opening throughout and with the lower end of the opening threaded to receive the threaded socket, a pair of opposed flexible prongs molded into the top of the sleeve and with the terminal ends of the prong being in normally spaced relation and biased together by pressure exerted upon the outer sides of the prongs, means in the barrel for energizing the lamp and whereby the lamp when energized will project a light beam between the prongs and to illuminate an area at the terminal ends of the prongs, the sleeve and its axial opening and the threads of the opening and the lower ends of the prongs being simultaneously molded, the coupling device being stamped from metal and having a circumferentially knurled ring carrying the upwardly extended threaded socket and the lower threaded extension, the barrel forming housing for electrical batteries, the bottom of the barrel being apertured to receive an outwardly extending button that is fixed to a disk in the barrel and with the disk normally resting upon the bottom of the barrel, a coil spring seated into the coupling andbearing upon the positive end of the batteries and to bias the batteries downwardly toward the disk and away from an axial terminal of the lamp, the button projecting downwardly from the barrel through the aperture, the button being cylindrical, and circumferentially grooved so that the button when forced inwardly with the disk may be shifted laterally to engage the groove at a marginal edge of the aperture, the movement of the button inwardly, simultaneously shifting the batteries upwardly to engage the contact of the lamp.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Kincaid 2406.46

Gelardin 240-10.68 Neugass 2406.46 X Zuckerman 240--6.46 Raymond 240-1068 X Wood 240-646 10 NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner.

C. C. LOGAN, Assistant Examiner. 

